Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C07—ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
  • C07K—PEPTIDES
  • C07K14/00—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof
  • C07K14/37—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from fungi
  • C07K14/39—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from fungi from yeasts
  • C07K14/395—Peptides having more than 20 amino acids; Gastrins; Somatostatins; Melanotropins; Derivatives thereof from fungi from yeasts from Saccharomyces
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G1/00—Preparation of wine or sparkling wine
  • C12G1/02—Preparation of must from grapes; Must treatment and fermentation
  • C12G1/0203—Preparation of must from grapes; Must treatment and fermentation by microbiological or enzymatic treatment
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N1/00—Microorganisms, e.g. protozoa; Compositions thereof; Processes of propagating, maintaining or preserving microorganisms or compositions thereof; Processes of preparing or isolating a composition containing a microorganism; Culture media therefor
  • C12N1/14—Fungi; Culture media therefor
  • C12N1/145—Fungal isolates
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N15/00—Mutation or genetic engineering; DNA or RNA concerning genetic engineering, vectors, e.g. plasmids, or their isolation, preparation or purification; Use of hosts therefor
  • C12N15/09—Recombinant DNA-technology
  • C12N15/63—Introduction of foreign genetic material using vectors; Vectors; Use of hosts therefor; Regulation of expression
  • C12N15/79—Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts
  • C12N15/80—Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts for fungi
  • C12N15/81—Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts for fungi for yeasts
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12N—MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING, OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; CULTURE MEDIA
  • C12N9/00—Enzymes; Proenzymes; Compositions thereof; Processes for preparing, activating, inhibiting, separating or purifying enzymes
  • C12N9/14—Hydrolases (3)
  • C12N9/78—Hydrolases (3) acting on carbon to nitrogen bonds other than peptide bonds (3.5)
  • C12N9/80—Hydrolases (3) acting on carbon to nitrogen bonds other than peptide bonds (3.5) acting on amide bonds in linear amides (3.5.1)
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12G—WINE; PREPARATION THEREOF; ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES; PREPARATION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES NOT PROVIDED FOR IN SUBCLASSES C12C OR C12H
  • C12G2200/00—Special features
  • C12G2200/11—Use of genetically modified microorganisms in the preparation of wine
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C12—BIOCHEMISTRY; BEER; SPIRITS; WINE; VINEGAR; MICROBIOLOGY; ENZYMOLOGY; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING
  • C12R—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES C12C - C12Q, RELATING TO MICROORGANISMS
  • C12R2001/00—Microorganisms ; Processes using microorganisms
  • C12R2001/645—Fungi ; Processes using fungi

Definitions

• Ethyl Carbamate also known as urethane, forms as a direct byproduct from the use of yeast to ferment foods and beverages. For example, the formation of ethyl carbamate, a probable carcinogen, occurs in fermenting grape must (wine) by reaction of urea with ethanol.
• Yeast strains that degrade urea via constitutive expression of DUR1,2 may be used to produce a fermented beverage or food product with low ethyl carbamate concentrations (Coulon et al., 2006, Am. J. Enol. Vitic: 113 - 124).
• the DUR3 gene encodes a urea transporter (DUR3p) that actively transports urea into the yeast cell under certain conditions. Transcription of the DUR3 gene is normally subject to Nitrogen Catabolite Repression (NCR, EIBerry et al., 1993, J. Bacteriol. 175: 4688 - 4698; Goffeau et al., 1996, Science 274 (5287), 546-547; Johnston et al., 1994, Science 265 (5181 ), 2077-2082). This is only one aspect of the regulatory network of anabolic and catabolic enzymes involved in nitrogen metabolism in a carbohydrate-utilizing yeast cell.
• the invention relates, in part, to products and processes that provide for a reduction of ethyl carbamate concentration in a fermented beverage or food product, using a yeast strain that has been transformed to express a urea transporter, to actively transport urea into the yeast cell, such as DUR3, under fermenting conditions.
• the yeast may also be modified to express an intracellular urea degrading enzymatic activity under the fermenting conditions, such as DUR1,2.
• the present invention provides, in part, a novel yeast strain which has been transformed to express DUR3 under fermenting conditions, for example constitutively, as well as methods for functional enhancement of yeast strains so that the yeast expresses DUR3 under fermenting conditions, for example constitutively, and the use of said yeast strains for the reduction of ethyl carbamate in a fermented beverage or food product.
• a novel yeast strain which has been transformed to constitutively express DUR1,2 and DUR3, and the use of said yeast strain for the reduction of ethyl carbamate in a fermented beverage or food product.
• yeast strain transformed to continually express DUR3p and a yeast strain transformed to continually express both DUR3p and urea amidolyase containing both urea carboxylase and allophanate hydrolase activities.
• yeast strain which has been transformed to continually uptake urea under fermenting conditions.
• said yeast may constitutively express DUR3.
• yeast strain which has been transformed to continually uptake and also degrade urea under fermenting conditions.
• said yeast strain may constitutively express both DUR1 ,2 and DUR3.
• a method for modifying a yeast strain comprising transforming said yeast strain to reduce nitrogen catabolite repression of urea transporter expression under fermenting conditions.
• said urea transporter may be encoded by DUR3 and wherein said urea transporter may be DUR3p.
• said method may include integration of the 1/2TRP1-PGK p -DUR3-PGK t -kanMX-1/2TRP1 cassette into the TRP1 locus.
• said method may include transforming said yeast strain with a novel nucleic acid comprising a coding sequence encoding DUR3p.
• said method may include transforming said yeast with a recombinant nucleic acid comprising a promoter not subject to nitrogen catabolite repression.
• a method of making a fermented beverage or food product by the use of a yeast strain functionally enhanced as described above, such as one that under fermenting conditions expresses DUR3, or both DUR1,2 and DUR3, for example by constitutive expression.
• a transformed yeast strain that constitutively expresses DUR3, or both DUR1,2 and DUR3 to reduce the concentration of ethyl carbamate in a fermented beverage or food product.
• the fermented beverage or food product may be wine and the reduced concentration of ethyl carbamate may be below 30ppb.
• a fermented beverage or food product having a reduced ethyl carbamate concentration produced using a transformed yeast strain that constitutively expresses DUR3, or both DUR1,2 and DUR3.
• the fermented beverage or food product may be wine and the reduced concentration of ethyl carbamate may be below 30ppb.
• Figure 2 sets out a S. cerevisiae DUR3p protein sequence (SEQ ID NO:7).
• Figure 3 sets out the S. cerevisiae DUR3 coding sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1]
• Figure 4 sets out the sequence of a portion of the upstream region of the DUR1,2 gene, ending at the DUR1,2 start codon ATG (SEQ ID NO:9).
• Two putative NCR element GATAA(G) boxes are highlighted (one at position -54 to -58 and to other at position -320 to -324), as well as putative TATAA boxes.
• Figure 5 sets out the sequence of a portion of the upstream region of the DUR3 gene (SEQ ID NO: 10).
• Figure 6 sets out a multiple protein sequence alignment, illustrating homologies between DUR3p (sequence NP_011847.1 (SEQ ID NO:7)) and 7 other proteins (sequence NP_595871.1 (SEQ ID NO:11 ), XP_452980.1 (SEQ ID NO:12), NP_982989.1 (SEQ ID NO:13), XP_364218.1 (SEQ ID NO:14), XP_329657.1 (SEQ ID NO:15), NP_199351.1 (SEQ ID NO:16) and NP_001065513.1 (SEQ ID NO:17)).
• Figure 7 illustrates a BLAST comparison of DUR3p (SEQ ID NO:7) with a (predicted) urea transporter of Schizosaccharomyces pombe (SEQ ID NO:11 ), and sets out a consensus sequence.
• urea transporters of the invention may have various degrees of identity compared to the S. cerevisiae DUR3p sequence or to the S. pombe urea transporter, or to the consensus sequence set out in this Figure, such as 80% identity when optimally aligned.
• FIG 8 illustrates fermentation profiles (weight loss) of wine yeast strains 522, 522DUR1 ,2 [an alternative designation for 522 EC ⁇ ], 522DUR3, and 522DUR1 ,2/DUR3 [an alternative designation for 522 EC"DUR3 ] j n Chardonnay wine.
• Figure 9 is a schematic illustration of a DUR3 self-cloning cassette of the invention.
• Figure 10 is a schematic representation of the integration of the self- cloning leu2-PGK1 p-kanMX-PGK1 p-DUR3-PGK1t-leu2 cassette into the LEU2 locus of S. cerevisiae industrial strains using a kanMX marker and subsequent loss of the marker by recombination of the PGK1 promoter direct repeats.
• a 'yeast strain' may be a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
• the invention may for example utilize S. bayanus yeast strains, or Schizosaccharomyces yeast strains.
• the invention relates to yeast strains used in fermentation to produce a variety of products, such as a fermented beverage or food product.
• a 'fermented beverage or food product' may be, but is not limited to, wine, brandy, whiskey, distilled spirits, ethanol, sake, sherry, beer, dough, bread, vinegar, or soy sauce.
• the present invention relates to the modification of genes and the use of recombinant genes.
• gene is used in accordance with its usual definition, to mean an operatively linked group of nucleic acid sequences.
• the modification of a gene in the context of the present invention may include the modification of any one of the various sequences that are operatively linked in the gene.
• operatively linked it is meant that the particular sequences interact either directly or indirectly to carry out their intended function, such as mediation or modulation of gene expression.
• the interaction of operatively linked sequences may for example be mediated by proteins that in turn interact with the nucleic acid sequences.
• promoter means a nucleotide sequence capable of mediating or modulating transcription of a nucleotide sequence of interest in the desired spatial or temporal pattern and to the desired extent, when the transcriptional regulatory region is operably linked to the sequence of interest.
• a transcriptional regulatory region and a sequence of interest are "operably linked” when the sequences are functionally connected so as to permit transcription of the sequence of interest to be mediated or modulated by the transcriptional regulatory region.
• a transcriptional regulatory region may be located on the same strand as the sequence of interest. The transcriptional regulatory region may in some embodiments be located 5' of the sequence of interest.
• the transcriptional regulatory region may be directly 5' of the sequence of interest or there may be intervening sequences between these regions.
• Transcriptional regulatory sequences may in some embodiments be located 3' of the sequence of interest.
• the operable linkage of the transcriptional regulatory region and the sequence of interest may require appropriate molecules (such as transcriptional activator proteins) to be bound to the transcriptional regulatory region, the invention therefore encompasses embodiments in which such molecules are provided, either in vitro or in vivo.
• nucleic acid sequences of the invention may be recombinant sequences.
• the term "recombinant” means that something has been recombined, so that with reference to a nucleic acid construct the term refers to a molecule that is comprised of nucleic acid sequences that have at some point been joined together or produced by means of molecular biological techniques.
• the term "recombinant” when made with reference to a protein or a polypeptide refers to a protein or polypeptide molecule which is expressed using a recombinant nucleic acid construct created by means of molecular biological techniques.
• Recombinant nucleic acid constructs may include a nucleotide sequence which is ligated to, or is manipulated to become ligated to, a nucleic acid sequence to which it is not ligated in nature, or to which it is ligated at a different location in nature. Referring to a nucleic acid construct as "recombinant” therefore indicates that the nucleic acid molecule has been manipulated by human intervention using genetic engineering.
• Recombinant nucleic acid constructs may for example be introduced into a host cell by transformation. Such recombinant nucleic acid constructs may include sequences derived from the same host cell species or from different host cell species, which have been isolated and reintroduced into cells of the host species.
• Recombinant nucleic acid sequences may become integrated into a host cell genome, either as a result of the original transformation of the host cells, or as the result of subsequent recombination and/or repair events.
• recombinant sequences may be maintained as extra-chromosomal elements.
• Such sequences may be reproduced, for example by using an organism such as a transformed yeast strain as a starting strain for strain improvement procedures implemented by mutation, mass mating or protoplast fusion.
• the resulting strains that preserve the recombinant sequence of the invention are themselves considered "recombinant" as that term is used herein.
• nucleic acid molecules may be chemically synthesized using techniques such as are disclosed, for example, in ltakura et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,049; Caruthers et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,066; and ltakura U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,401 ,796 and 4,373,071.
• Such synthetic nucleic acids are by their nature "recombinant" as that term is used herein (being the product of successive steps of combining the constituent parts of the molecule).
• Transformation is the process by which the genetic material carried by a cell is altered by incorporation of one or more exogenous nucleic acids into the cell.
• yeast may be transformed using a variety of protocols (Gietz et al., 1995). Such transformation may occur by incorporation of the exogenous nucleic acid into the genetic material of the cell, or by virtue of an alteration in the endogenous genetic material of the cell that results from exposure of the cell to the exogenous nucleic acid.
• Transformants or transformed cells are cells, or descendants of cells, that have been functionally enhanced through the uptake of an exogenous nucleic acid.
• Transformed host cells for use in wine-making may for example include strains of S. cerevisiae or Schizosaccharomyces, such as Bourgovin (RC 212 Saccharomyces cerevisiae), ICV D-47 Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 71 B-1122 Saccharomyces cerevisiae, K1 V- 1116 Saccharomyces cerevisiae, EC-1118 Saccharomyces bayanus, Vin13, Vin7, N96, and WE352.
• yeast strains such as Lallemand Inc. (Canada), AB Mauri (Australia) and Lesaffre (France).
• aspects of the invention may make use of endogenous or heterologous enzymes having urea transport activity, such as the urea transport activity of DUR3.
• aspects of the invention may make use of endogenous or heterologous enzymes having urea degrading activity, such as the urea carboxylase and allophanate hydrolase activity of DUR1 ,2p.
• These enzymes may for example be homologous to DUR3p or DUR1 ,2p or to regions of DUR3p or DUR1 ,2p having the relevant activity.
• the degree of homology between sequences may be expressed as a percentage of identity when the sequences are optimally aligned, meaning the occurrence of exact matches between the sequences.
• Optimal alignment of sequences for comparisons of identity may be conducted using a variety of algorithms, such as the local homology algorithm of Smith and Waterman, 1981 , Adv. Appl. Math 2: 482, the homology alignment algorithm of Needleman and Wunsch, 1970, J. MoI. Biol. 48:443, the search for similarity method of Pearson and Lipman, 1988, Proc. Natl.
• the BLAST algorithm involves first identifying high scoring sequence pairs (HSPs) by identifying short words of length W in the query sequence that either match or satisfy some positive-valued threshold score T when aligned with a word of the same length in a database sequence. T is referred to as the neighbourhood word score threshold.
• Initial neighbourhood word hits act as seeds for initiating searches to find longer HSPs.
• the word hits are extended in both directions along each sequence for as far as the cumulative alignment score can be increased. Extension of the word hits in each direction is halted when the following parameters are met: the cumulative alignment score falls off by the quantity X from its maximum achieved value; the cumulative score goes to zero or below, due to the accumulation of one or more negative-scoring residue alignments; or the end of either sequence is reached.
• the BLAST algorithm parameters W, T and X determine the sensitivity and speed of the alignment.
• the BLOSUM matrix assigns a probability score for each position in an alignment that is based on the frequency with which that substitution is known to occur among consensus blocks within related proteins.
• a variety of other matrices may be used as alternatives to BLOSUM62, including: PAM30 (9,1 ,0.87); PAM70 (10,1 ,0.87) BLOSUM80 (10,1 ,0.87); BLOSUM62 (11 ,1 ,0.82) and BLOSUM45 (14,2,0.87).
• P(N) the smallest sum probability
• nucleotide or amino acid sequences are considered substantially identical if the smallest sum probability in a comparison of the test sequences is less than about 1 , preferably less than about 0.1 , more preferably less than about 0.01 , and most preferably less than about 0.001.
• Nucleic acid and protein sequences of the invention may in some embodiments be substantially identical, such as substantially identical to DUR3p or DUR1 ,2p or DUR3 or DUR1, 2 nucleic acid sequences.
• the substantial identity of such sequences may be reflected in percentage of identity when optimally aligned that may for example be greater than 50%, 80% to 100%, at least 80%, at least 90% or at least 95%, which in the case of gene targeting substrates may refer to the identity of a portion of the gene targeting substrate with a portion of the target sequence, wherein the degree of identity may facilitate homologous pairing and recombination and/or repair.
• hybridize to each other under moderately stringent, or preferably stringent, conditions Hybridization to filter-bound sequences under moderately stringent conditions may, for example, be performed in 0.5 M NaHPO4, 7% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 1 mM EDTA at 65 0 C, and washing in 0.2 x SSC/0.1 % SDS at 42 0 C (see Ausubel, et al. (eds), 1989, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Vol. 1 , Green Publishing Associates, Inc., and John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, at p. 2.10.3).
• SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate
• hybridization to filter-bound sequences under stringent conditions may, for example, be performed in 0.5 M NaHPO4, 7% SDS, 1 mM EDTA at 65 0 C, and washing in 0.1 x SSC/0.1 % SDS at 68 0 C (see Ausubel, et al. (eds), 1989, supra).
• Hybridization conditions may be modified in accordance with known methods depending on the sequence of interest (see Tijssen, 1993, Laboratory Techniques in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Hybridization with Nucleic Acid Probes, Part I, Chapter 2 "Overview of principles of hybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid probe assays", Elsevier, New York).
• stringent conditions are selected to be about 5 0 C lower than the thermal melting point for the specific sequence at a defined ionic strength and pH. Washes for stingent hybridization may for example be of at least 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, 75 minutes, 90 minutes, 105 minutes or 120 minutes.
• proteins having urea transport activity may include proteins that differ from the native DUR3 sequence by conservative amino acid substitutions.
• proteins having urea carboxylase /allophanate hydrolase activity may include proteins that differ from the native DUR1, 2 sequence by conservative amino acid substitutions.
• conservative amino acid substitutions refers to the substitution of one amino acid for another at a given location in the protein, where the substitution can be made without substantial loss of the relevant function.
• substitutions of like amino acid residues can be made on the basis of relative similarity of side-chain substituents, for example, their size, charge, hydrophobicity, hydrophilicity, and the like, and such substitutions may be assayed for their effect on the function of the protein by routine testing.
• conserved amino acid substitutions may be made where an amino acid residue is substituted for another having a similar hydrophilicity value (e.g., within a value of plus or minus 2.0), where the following may be an amino acid having a hydropathic index of about -1.6 such as Tyr (-1.3) or Pro (-1.6)s are assigned to amino acid residues (as detailed in United States Patent No.
• conserved amino acid substitutions may be made where an amino acid residue is substituted for another having a similar hydropathic index (e.g., within a value of plus or minus 2.0).
• each amino acid residue may be assigned a hydropathic index on the basis of its hydrophobicity and charge characteristics, as follows: Ne (+4.5); VaI (+4.2); Leu (+3.8); Phe (+2.8); Cys (+2.5); Met (+1.9); Ala (+1.8); GIy (-0.4); Thr (-0.7); Ser (- 0.8); Trp (-0.9); Tyr (-1.3); Pro (-1.6); His (-3.2); GIu (-3.5); GIn (-3.5); Asp (-3.5); Asn (-3.5); Lys (-3.9); and Arg (-4.5).
• conserved amino acid substitutions may be made where an amino acid residue is substituted for another in the same class, where the amino acids are divided into non-polar, acidic, basic and neutral classes, as follows: non-polar: Ala, VaI, Leu, lie, Phe, Trp, Pro, Met; acidic: Asp, GIu; basic: Lys, Arg, His; neutral: GIy, Ser, Thr, Cys, Asn, GIn, Tyr.
• conservative amino acid changes include changes based on considerations of hydrophilicity or hydrophobicity, size or volume, or charge.
• Amino acids can be generally characterized as hydrophobic or hydrophilic, depending primarily on the properties of the amino acid side chain.
• a hydrophobic amino acid exhibits a hydrophobicity of greater than zero, and a hydrophilic amino acid exhibits a hydrophilicity of less than zero, based on the normalized consensus hydrophobicity scale of Eisenberg et al. (J. MoI. Bio. 179:125- 142, 184).
• hydrophobic amino acids include GIy, Ala, Phe, VaI, Leu, Ne, Pro, Met and Trp, and genetically encoded hydrophilic amino acids include Thr, His, GIu, GIn, Asp, Arg, Ser, and Lys.
• Non-genetically encoded hydrophobic amino acids include t-butylalanine, while non-genetically encoded hydrophilic amino acids include citrulline and homocysteine.
• Hydrophobic or hydrophilic amino acids can be further subdivided based on the characteristics of their side chains.
• an aromatic amino acid is a hydrophobic amino acid with a side chain containing at least one aromatic or heteroaromatic ring, which may contain one or more substituents such as -OH, - SH, -CN, -F, -Cl, -Br, -I, -NO2, -NO, -NH2, -NHR, -NRR, -C(O)R, -C(O)OH, -C(O)OR, -C(O)NH2, -C(O)NHR, -C(O)NRR, etc., where R is independently (C1-C6) alkyl, substituted (C1-C6) alkyl, (C1-C6) alkenyl, substituted (C1-C6) alkenyl, (C1-C6) alkynyl, substituted (C1-C6) alkynyl, etc.
• An apolar amino acid is a hydrophobic amino acid with a side chain that is uncharged at physiological pH and which has bonds in which a pair of electrons shared in common by two atoms is generally held equally by each of the two atoms (i.e., the side chain is not polar).
• Genetically encoded apolar amino acids include GIy, Leu, VaI, lie, Ala, and Met.
• Apolar amino acids can be further subdivided to include aliphatic amino acids, which is a hydrophobic amino acid having an aliphatic hydrocarbon side chain. Genetically encoded aliphatic amino acids include Ala, Leu, VaI, and lie.
• a polar amino acid is a hydrophilic amino acid with a side chain that is uncharged at physiological pH, but which has one bond in which the pair of electrons shared in common by two atoms is held more closely by one of the atoms.
• Genetically encoded polar amino acids include Ser, Thr, Asn, and GIn.
• An acidic amino acid is a hydrophilic amino acid with a side chain pKa value of less than 7. Acidic amino acids typically have negatively charged side chains at physiological pH due to loss of a hydrogen ion. Genetically encoded acidic amino acids include Asp and GIu. A basic amino acid is a hydrophilic amino acid with a side chain pKa value of greater than 7. Basic amino acids typically have positively charged side chains at physiological pH due to association with hydronium ion. Genetically encoded basic amino acids include Arg, Lys, and His.
• amino acids can be classified based on known behaviour and or characteristic chemical, physical, or biological properties based on specified assays or as compared with previously identified amino acids.
• the urea transport and degrading activity of a host may be adjusted so that it is at a desired level under fermentation conditions, such as under wine fermentation conditions.
• fermentation conditions or “fermenting conditions” means conditions under which an organism, such as S. cerevisiae, produces energy by fermentation, i.e. culture conditions under which fermentation takes place.
• fermentation is the sum of anaerobic reactions that can provide energy for the growth of microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. Energy in fermentation is provided by substrate-level phosphorylation.
• an organic compound (the energy source) serves as a donor of electrons and another organic compound is the electron acceptor.
• Various organic substrates may be used for fermentation, such as carbohydrates, amino acids, purines and pyrimidines.
• the invention relates to organisms, such as yeast, capable of carbohydrate fermentation to produce ethyl alcohol.
• the culture conditions of the must are derived from the fruit juice used as starting material.
• the main constituents of grape juice are glucose (typically about 75 to 150 g/l), fructose (typically about 75 to 150 g/l), tartaric acid (typically about 2 to 10 g/l), malic acid (typically about 1 to 8 g/l) and free amino acids (typically about 0.2 to 2.5 g/l).
• glucose typically about 75 to 150 g/l
• fructose typically about 75 to 150 g/l
• tartaric acid typically about 2 to 10 g/l
• malic acid typically about 1 to 8 g/l
• free amino acids typically about 0.2 to 2.5 g/l.
• virtually any fruit or sugary plant sap can be processed into an alcoholic beverage in a process in which the main reaction is the conversion of a carbohydrate to ethyl alcohol.
• the fermentation may be allowed to proceed spontaneously, or can be started by inoculation with a must that has been previously fermented, in which case the juice may be inoculated with populations of yeast of about 10 6 to about 10 7 cfu/ml juice. The must may be aerated to build up the yeast population.
• the rapid production of carbon dioxide generally maintains anaerobic conditions.
• the temperature of fermentation is usually from 10 0 C to 3O 0 C, and the duration of the fermentation process may for example extend from a few days to a few weeks.
• the present invention provides yeast strains that are capable of reducing the concentration of ethyl carbamate in fermented alcoholic beverages.
• the invention may be used to provide wines having an ethyl carbamate concentration of less than 40 ppb ( ⁇ g/L), 35 ppb, 30 ppb, 25 ppb, 20 ppb, 15 ppb, 10 ppb or 5 ppb (or any integer value between 50 ppb and 1 ppb).
• the invention may be used to provide fortified wines or distilled spirits having an ethyl carbamate concentration of less than about 500 ppb, 400 ppb, 300 ppb, 200 ppb, 150 ppb, 100 ppb, 90 ppb, 80 ppb, 70 ppb, 60 ppb, 50 ppb, 40 ppb, 30 ppb, 20 ppb or 10 ppb (or any integer value between 500 ppb and 10 ppb).
• the invention may provide yeast strains that are capable of maintaining a reduced urea concentration in grape musts.
• urea concentrations may be maintained below about 15 mg/l, 10 mg/l, 5 mg/l, 4 mg/l, 3mg/l, 2mg/l or 1 mg/l.
• the invention provides methods for selecting natural mutants of a fermenting organism having a desired level of urea degrading activity under fermenting conditions.
• yeast strains may be selected that lacking NCR of DUR3.
• a yeast strain may be treated with a mutagen, such as ethylmethane sulfonate, nitrous acid, or hydroxylamine, which produce mutants with base-pair substitutions. Mutants with altered urea degrading activity may be screened for example by plating on an appropriate medium.
• site directed mutagenesis may be employed to alter the level of urea transport or urea degrading activity in a host.
• site directed mutagenesis may be employed to remove NCR mediating elements from a yeast promoter, such as the DUR3 or DUR1 ,2 promoter.
• the GATAA(G) boxes in the native DUR1 ,2 promoter sequence, as shown in Figure 4 may be deleted or modified by substitution.
• one or both of the GATAA boxes may be modified by substituting a T for the G, so that the sequence becomes TATAA.
• the relative urea transport or degrading enzymatic activity of a yeast strain of the invention may be measured relative to an untransformed parent strain.
• transformed yeast strains of the invention may be selected to have greater urea transport or degrading activity than a parent strain under fermenting conditions, or an activity that is some greater proportion of the parent strain activity under the same fermenting conditions, such as at least 150%, 200%, 250%, 300%, 400% or 500% of the parent strain activity.
• the activity of enzymes expressed or encoded by recombinant nucleic acids of the invention may be determined relative to the non-recombinant sequences from which they are derived, using similar multiples of activity.
• a vector may be provided comprising a recombinant nucleic acid molecule having the DUR3 coding sequence, or homologues thereof, under the control of a heterologous promoter sequence that mediates regulated expression of the DUR3 polypeptide.
• the DUR3 open reading frame (ORF) from S. cerevisiae may be inserted into a plasmid containing an expression cassette that will regulate expression of the recombinant DUR3 gene.
• the recombinant molecule may be introduced into a selected yeast strain to provide a transformed strain having altered urea transport activity.
• expression of a native DUR3 coding sequence homologue in a host such as S.
• cerevisiae may also be effected by replacing the native promoter with another promoter. Additional regulatory elements may also be used to construct recombinant expression cassettes utilizing an endogenous coding sequence. Recombinant genes or expression cassettes may be integrated into the chromosomal DNA of a host such as S. cerevisiae.
• Promoters for use in alternative aspects of the invention may be selected from suitable native S. cerevisiae promoters, such as the PGK1 or CAR1 promoters. Such promoters may be used with additional regulator elements, such as the PGK1 and CAR1. terminators.
• suitable native S. cerevisiae promoters such as the PGK1 or CAR1 promoters.
• Such promoters may be used with additional regulator elements, such as the PGK1 and CAR1. terminators.
• a variety of native or recombinant promoters may be used, where the promoters are selected or constructed to mediate expression of urea degrading activities, such as DUR1 ,2p activities, under selected conditions, such as wine making conditions.
• a variety of constitutive promoters may for example be operatively linked to the DUR3 coding sequence.
• a method of fermenting a carbohydrate such as a method of fermenting wine, using a host, such as a yeast strain, transformed with a recombinant nucleic acid that modulates the urea transport (uptake) activity of the host.
• a host such as a yeast strain
• the NCR of the DUR3 gene may be modulated to enhance the uptake of urea in a wine making yeast strain.
• fermentation of a grape must with the yeast strain may be carried out so as to result in the production of limited amounts of ethyl carbamate.
• a yeast strain transformed to reduce nitrogen catabolite repression of urea transporter expression under fermenting conditions may be encoded by DUR3. and the urea transporter may be DUR3p.
• a yeast strain transformed to reduce nitrogen catabolite repression of both urea transporter expression and urea degradation enzyme expression under fermenting conditions.
• the urea transporter may be encoded by DUR3 and said urea degrading enzyme may be encoded by DUR1,2. and the urea transporter may be DUR3p and said urea degrading enzyme may be urea carboxylase/allophanate hydrolase.
• yeast strain which has been transformed to continually uptake urea under fermenting conditions.
• the yeast may for example constitutively express DUR3.
• yeast strain which has been transformed to continually uptake urea and also degrade urea under fermenting conditions.
• said yeast strain may constitutively express both DUR1 ,2 and DUR3.
• a method for modifying a yeast strain comprising transforming said yeast strain to reduce nitrogen catabolite repression of urea transporter expression under fermenting conditions.
• the urea transporter may for example be encoded by DUR3, and the urea transporter may be DUR3p.
• a method for modifying a yeast strain comprising transforming said yeast strain to reduce nitrogen catabolite repression of urea transporter expression and of urea degradation enzyme expression under fermenting conditions.
• the urea transporter may be encoded by DUR3 and said urea degrading enzyme may be encoded by DUR1,2. and the urea transporter may be DUR3p and said urea degrading enzyme may be urea carboxylase or allophanate hydrolase.
• the method may include integration of the 1/2TRP1-PGK p -DUR3-PGK t -kanMX-1/2TRP1 cassette into the TRP1 locus.
• the method may include transforming said yeast strain with a recombinant nucleic acid comprising a coding sequence encoding DUR3p.
• the method may include transforming said yeast with a recombinant nucleic acid comprising a promoter not subject to nitrogen catabolite repression.
• urea transporter may be encoded by DUR3, and the urea transporter may be DUR3p.
• a method of making a fermented beverage or food product using a yeast strain transformed to reduce nitrogen catabolite repression of both urea transporter expression and urea degradation enzyme expression under fermenting conditions The urea transporter may be encoded by DUR3 and said urea degrading enzyme may be encoded by DUR1,2.
• the urea transporter may be DUR3p and said urea degrading enzyme may be urea carboxylase or allophanate hydrolase.
• a fermented beverage or food product having a reduced ethyl carbamate concentration produced using a transformed yeast strain that constitutively expresses DUR3.
• a fermented beverage or food product having a reduced ethyl carbamate concentration produced using a transformed yeast strain that constitutively expresses both DUR1,2 and DUR3.
• a wine having an ethyl carbamate concentration of less than 30 ppb produced using a transformed yeast strain that constitutively expresses DUR3.
• a wine having an ethyl carbamate concentration of less than 30 ppb produced using a transformed yeast strain that constitutively expresses both DUR1, 2 and DUR3.
• Yeast strains UC Davis 522 (Montrachet), Prise de Mousse (EC1118), and K7-01 (sake yeast) have been transformed to constitutively express DUR3 alone or both DUR1,2 and DUR3. Extensive testing has indicated that the transformed yeast are substantially equivalent to their parental strains. That is, the only genetic and metabolic modifications are the intended constitutive expression of DUR3 or both DUR1 ,2 and DUR3.
• the DUR3 gene under control of the PGK1 promoter and terminator signal.
• the PGK1 promoter is not subject to NCR.
• DUR1,2 and DUR3 constitutive expression reduces ethyl carbamate to approximately the same extent as either DUR1,2 or DUR3 alone in the 552 and K7 yeast strains.
• the PDM EC DUR3 (DUR1,2 and DUR3), however, is an example of a yeast strain that is able to reduce ethyl carbamate in wine must to a greater extent than either the PDM DUR3 (DUR3) or PDM EC (DUR1,2) strains alone.
• Figures 9 and 10 illustrate a DUR3 genetic cassette Ieu2-PGK1 P - kanMX-PGKp-DUR3-PGK1 t -leu2 allowing for selection of transformed yeast and subsequent removal of an antiobiotic resistance marker via recombination of direct repeats, used in this example as described below.
• Yeast were transformed with recombinant nucleic acid comprising the
• DUR3 gene under control of the PGK1 promoter and terminator signal that allows selection of transformed yeast and the subsequent removal of an antiobiotic resistance marker via recombination of direct repeats.
• the PGK1 promoter is not subject to NCR.
• the DU R3 gene cassette - leu2-PGK1p-kanMX-PGK p -DUR3-PGK1 t - Ieu2.
• Four strains were transformed with the leu2-PGK1 p -kanMX-PGK p -DUR3- PGK1 r leu2 cassette: CY3079, Bordeaux Red, and DUR1, 2-transformed strains D80ec- and D254ec-.
• the DUR3 ORF was cloned into pHVX2.
• the DUR3 ORF was amplified from 522 genomic DNA using the following primers which contained Xho1 restriction enzyme sites built into their 5' ends:
• DUR3forXho1 ( ⁇ '-AAAACTCGAGATGGGAGAATTTAAACCTCCGCTAC-S') (SEQ ID NO:1 )
• DUR3revXho1 (5'- AAAACTCGAGCTAAATTATTTCATCAACTTGTCCGAAATGTG-S') (SEQ ID NO:2).
• both the PCR product (insert) and pHVX2 (vector) were digested with Xho1 (Roche, Germany).
• the insert and linearized-SAP treated vector were ligated overnight at 22 0 C (T4 DNA Ligase - Fermentas, USA); the ligation mixture (5 ⁇ l_) was used to transform DH5 ⁇ TM competent cells (Invitrogen, USA) that were subsequently grown on 100 ⁇ g/mL Ampicillin (Fisher, USA) supplemented LB (Difco, USA) plates.
• Plasmids from a random selection of transformant colonies were harvested (Qiagen, USA - QIAprep Spin Miniprep kit) and digested by EcoR1 (Roche, Germany); PCR, using inside- outside primers, was done to identify plasmids with the desired insert.
• the resultant plasmid containing PGK1p-DUR3-PGK1t was named pHVX2D3.
• the kanMX marker was obtained from pUG6 via double digestion with
• TRP1 coding region was PCR amplified from 522 genomic DNA using TRP1 specific primers, each containing BamH1 and then Apa1 sites at their 5' ends:
• the ⁇ 6500bp blunt end PCR generated fragment was treated with polynucleotide kinase (New England Biolabs, USA) in order to facilitate ligation into the blunt EcoRV (Fermentas, USA) site of linearized-SAP treated pUCTRPI .
• E-lyse efficiently screens large numbers of colonies for the presence of plasmid DNA by lysing the colonies within the wells of an agarose gel, followed by electrophoresis. More specifically, after patching onto selective media, small aliquots of colonies were suspended in 5 ⁇ l_ TBE buffer and then mixed with 10 ⁇ l_ SRL buffer (25% v/v sucrose, 50 ⁇ g/mL RNase, 1 mg/mL lysozyme).
• the 6536bp DUR3 cassette was cut from pUCMD using Apa1 (Stratagene, USA) and visualized on a 0.8% agarose gel. From the gel, the expected 6536bp band was resolved and extracted (Qiagen, USA - Gel extraction kit). After extraction, clean up, and quantification using a Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer (Nanodrop, USA), 250 ng of linear cassette was used to transform S. cerevisiae strains 522, 522 EC" , PDM, PDM EC" , K7 and K7 EC” . Yeast strains were transformed using the lithium acetate/polyethylene glycol/ssDNA method.
• Unfiltered Chardonnay grape juice (23.75 Brix, pH 3.41 , ammonia 91.6 mg/L, FAN 309.6 mg/L) was obtained from Calona Museums, Okanagan Valley and used for the inoculation of the modified yeast.
• Single colonies of parental strains (522, PDM, K7, and K9) as well as appropriate functionally enhanced strains from freshly streaked YPD plates, were inoculated into 5 ml_ YPD and grown overnight (30° C - rotary wheel). Cells were subcultured into 50 mL YPD (OD 600 0.05) and again grown overnight (30° C - 180 rpm shaker bath).
• Chardonnay wine was heated at 70 0 C for 48 hr to stimulate ethyl carbamate production.
• a 10-mL wine sample was pipetted into a 20-mL sample vial.
• a small magnetic stirring bar and 3 g of NaCI were added and the vial was capped with PTFE/silicone septum.
• the vial was placed on a stirrer at 22°C and allowed to equilibrate, with stirring, for 15 min.
• a SPME fiber 65 ⁇ m carbowax/divinylbenzene
• a 60 m x 0.25 mm i.d., 0.25 ⁇ m thickness DBWAX fused-silica open tubular column (J&W Scientific, Folsom, CA) was employed.
• the carrier gas was ultra-high-purity helium at a constant flow of 36 cm/s.
• the injector and transfer line temperature was set at 25O 0 C.
• the oven temperature was initially set at 70 0 C for 2 min, then raised to 18O 0 C at 8 0 C /min and held for 3 min.
• the temperature was then programmed to increase by 20°C/min to 22O 0 C where it was held for 15 min.
• the total run time was 35.75 min.
• the injection mode was splitless for 5 min (purge flow: 5 mL/min, purge time: 5min).
• the MS was operated in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode with electron impact ionization; MS quad temperature 150 0 C and MS source temperature 23O 0 C.
• the solvent delay was 8 min.
• Specific ions 44, 62, 74, 89 were monitored with a dwell time of 100 msec.
• Mass 62 was used for quantification against the mass spectrum of the authentic EC standard.
• Ethanol produced by wine yeast strains (522, 522 DUR1 ' 2 [an alternative designation for 522 EC -] 522 DUR3 , and 522 DUR1 ' 2/DUR3 [an alternative designation for 522 EC DUR3 ]) in Chardonnay wine.
• Ethanol content (%v/v) was measured by LC at the end of fermentation. Fermentation profiles are given in Figures 3. Data were analyzed for statistical significance (p ⁇ 0.05) using two factor ANOVA analysis.

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